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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with US president, Donald Trump, in Florida on Sunday (28 December) in what many see as crucial talks on the future of Ukraine. The time of the meeting between president Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and US president Donald Trump, in Florida today, has been moved to 1300 hours local time. A Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States to participate in a meeting between the two presidents. Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the composition of Ukraine's negotiating team: National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov, non-staff adviser to the head of the Presidential Office Oleksandr Bevz, and First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya. On Saturday, the Ukrainian president outlined five thematic areas covered in the "peace plan" negotiations and which he wants to discuss with Trump at the meeting: "We are discussing security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States. This is one document. We are also discussing security guarantees with Europe. We are discussing the military dimension. This is part of the security guarantees." The fourth section he mentioned was a "prosperity plan, which will include many other documents," which includes discussions on raising up to $800 billion for Ukraine's reconstruction and creating a number of funds. "And fifth, what we want to discuss with the president is a plan of consistent action. That is, we want to propose, step by step, how to ensure that all the plans I've already mentioned actually work. They will, of course, discuss all of this with the Russians, and we will receive feedback," Zelenskyy stated.

In his Christmas address on St Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV renewed his plea for peace, reminding the world that it is both God’s gift and humanity’s shared responsibility. Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace, dialogue, and responsibility, turning to those regions where violence and instability continue to claim innocent lives. The Pope prayed for “justice, peace, and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Syria,” and urged that the promise of peace rooted in righteousness be renewed. He appealed in a particular way for Ukraine, asking that “the clamor of weapons cease,” and that all those involved, with the support of the international community, find the courage to engage in “sincere, direct, and respectful dialogue.” Remembering conflicts that risk being forgotten, Pope Leo XIV expressed closeness to the victims of war and violence in Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to all those who suffer as a result of injustice, political instability, religious persecution, and terrorism. The Pope also prayed for Haiti, calling for an end to violence and progress along the path of peace and reconciliation. He also invoked peace for Myanmar, asking that the country be guided towards reconciliation and hope, especially for its younger generations. Turning to Latin America, he encouraged those with political responsibilities to give space to dialogue for the common good, rather than to ideological and partisan divisions. The Pope also prayed for the restoration of the "ancient friendship" between Thailand and Cambodia, and entrusted to God the peoples of South Asia and Oceania, who have been severely affected by recent natural disasters, calling for renewed commitment to assisting those who suffer.

Donald Trump still wants Greenland. "We have to have it", the US president insists. He has sparked a fresh row with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland.   In response to a question from the BBC about the new role of Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, Trump said the US needed Greenland for "national protection" and that "we have to have it". Trump specifically mentioned Chinese and Russian ships as potential threats in the nearby seas. Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US. (click the image to read the full story).

Russia could attack a NATO country within the next five years, the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said in a stark new warning. "NATO's own defences can hold for now," Rutte warned in Berlin, but conflict was "next door" to Europe, and he feared "too many are quietly complacent, and too many don't feel the urgency, too many believe that time is on our side. "Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against our societies," Rutte said in a speech in Germany. "We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured." Earlier this month, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said his country was not planning to go to war with Europe, but it was ready "right now" if Europe wanted to - or started a war. But similar reassurances were given by Moscow in 2022, just before 200,000 Russian troops crossed the border and invaded Ukraine. Putin has accused European countries of hindering US efforts to bring peace in Ukraine - a reference to the role Ukraine's European allies have recently played in trying to change a US peace plan to end the war, whose initial draft was seen as favouring Russia. But Putin was not sincere, Nato's secretary-general said in the German capital, Berlin. Supporting Ukraine, he added, was a guarantee for European security. "Just imagine if Putin got his way; Ukraine under the boot of Russian occupation, his forces pressing against a longer border with Nato, and the significantly increased risk of an armed attack against us." Russia's economy has been on a war footing for more than three years now - its factories churn out ever more supplies of drones, missiles and artillery shells. According to a recent report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Russia has been producing each month around 150 tanks, 550 infantry fighting vehicles, 120 Lancet drones and more than 50 artillery pieces. The UK, and most of its Western allies, are simply not anywhere near this point. Analysts say it would take years for Western Europe's factories to come close to matching Russia's mass-production of weapons. "Allied defence spending and production must rise rapidly, our armed forces must have what they need to keep us safe," the Nato chief said.

Renewed fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has entered its fourth day, with both sides accusing one another of violating international law, as they await a promised phone call from United States President Donald Trump. Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence accused Thailand’s military of carrying out numerous attacks within the country in the early hours of Thursday morning, including deploying tanks and artillery to strike targets in the country’s Pursat, Banteay Meanchey, and Oddar Meanchey provinces. In one such attack, Cambodia accused Thai soldiers of violating international humanitarian law by firing on civilians in Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province. In another, it accused Thai forces of shelling “into Khnar Temple area”, and said Thai forces had also “fired artillery and support fire into the O’Smach area”. “Cambodia urges that Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities and withdraw its forces from Cambodia’s territorial integrity, and avoid acts of aggression that threaten peace and stability in the region,” the Defence Ministry said. Clashes took place on Wednesday at more than a dozen locations along the contested colonial-era demarcated 817-kilometre (508-mile) Thai-Cambodian border, with some of the most intense fighting being reported since a five-day battle in July, which saw dozens killed on both sides. Cambodia’s Ministry of the Interior said homes, schools, roads, Buddhist pagodas and ancient temples had been damaged by “Thailand’s intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes targeting villages and civilian population centres up to 30km [18.6 miles] inside Cambodian territory”. (click the image to read the full story).